Game 95: B-PC/A vs. Ridgewood (Girl's Basketball)

Game 95
(2/15/10)
B-PC/A vs. Ridgewood (Girl's Basketball)
Class 1A Abingdon Sectional

This was a sectional complex I was really looking forward to broadcasting. The four teams battling are Annawan, B-PC/A, Brimfield, and Ridgewood. I have become very familiar with all four teams. Of course, graduating and growing up in Annawan, that one is a no-brainer. Bushnell has become sort of an adopted hometown, broadcasting their games over the years, and making many friends there. Brimfield has been a team I have covered several times the last couple years, and knowing Alwood and Cambridge from my days at Annawan, as well as broadcasting both teams nearly a decade ago for the former WHHK-Galva.

Earlier in the day, Abingdon athletic director Joe Nichols asked if I would like to broadcast courtside from the scorer's table. It would have been an excellent view, but very cramped with my mixer board and laptop strewn about. There probably would not been enough room, so I declined and set up shop in the balcony along press row.

Over the past few weeks I have been looking for a long sleeve Nike or Addidas white shirt. Something semi-casual for the games. I don't like to get too overdressed! I have checked out many places, to no avail. Before heading to Abingdon, I stopped at the Sandburg Mall in Galesburg to check out what Hibbet's Sporting Goods had. They had some workout shirts, but not exactly what I was looking for. I headed over to Bergner's, and they didn't have what I wanted either, but did find a white Calvin Klein long sleeve shirt that was similar to what I wanted, so I went ahead with that.

Driving down Route 41, there was a short delay near the prison in Galesburg as a semi was trying to turn around. I used this opportunity to change shirts, lol. When I arrived in Abingdon, I stopped at Casey's, and bought a water. I was right behind the Ridgewood (Cambridge) school bus.

Pulling into the parking lot, it was right at 5:00. I had to do a switcheroo with my equipment bag. Since I broadcasted for both the radio station and IHSSN at the Riverton Shootout, I had my equipment and the radio equipment all together. I seperated the equipment and headed inside.

I headed upstairs to the balcony, where the press tables are set up, and my buddy Jim Taylor from WRMJ-Aledo was all set up. He was broadcasting the first game only. Joe Nichols came by to make sure we were all good. In total, three broadcast groups would be at the games, with Regional Radio out of Kewanee broadcasting the doubleheader also.

Taylor and I talked extensively about the teams in this sectional group, and showed him how the IHSSN broadcasts are run through the laptop and mixer. WRMJ also uses Network1Sports for their online broadcasts. Jim was a mentor of sorts when I first began broadcasting. I worked under WRMJ owner John Hoscheidt for the former WHHK (Galva) and WGEN (Geneseo) when I broke into the business.

Once I got everything set up, I chatted with a couple newspaper guys that sat beside me, Ben Diggle from the Peoria Journal-Star and Terry Duckett from the Moline Dispatch. Zach Creglow from the Galesburg Register-Mail and Jeff Holt from The Paper were also in attendance. It was a menagerie of media with Matt Randazzo filming from WQAD and Robert Hahn taking video for WMBD-Peoria. I talked with Robert quite a bit about Brimfield, who would be playing the next game against Annawan.

Regional Radio dropped in and sandwiched WRMJ and I. Russ Hughes and Steve Peart were the broadcast crew tonight. Russ worked for me last season covering Galesburg Silver Streaks basketball. Steve is a fellow Annawanian, and I went to school with his kids. Russ made mention of Gary Petersen, who works for me doing Streaks boy's basketball games, and how they worked together covering Kewanee Boilermakers for WKEI. I joked to him that, "I used to listen to you guys when I was a KID." Sorry Russ!

Heading into the game, B-PC/A junior Bridjet Blout (daughter of coach Julie Blout) needed just one point to join the 1,000-point club. I have been tracking both Bridjet and teammate Kendra Pierce's statistics since they were freshman. I have loosely tried to keep track of records for B-PC (B-PC/A) sports. Both girls should be setting many records at the school as seniors next year. Pierce joined the 1,000 point club just before Christmas.

The Battle of Spartans. It was Ridgewood jumping out to a 18-9 lead after the first quarter. Kendra Pierce scored six of the nine B-PC/A points in the frame, while Ridgewood was led by Jena Peterson's nine points.

B-PC/A jumped back into the game in the second quarter. Bridjet Blout hit a basket in the paint with 6:25 to play in the first half, scoring her 1,000th career point! At halftime, Ridgewood led B-PC/A 32-25.

The Spartans....of B-PC/A fell into a drought in the third quarter, not scoring until the 3:25 mark. They would recover nicely and score 9 points in the last 3:25 of the quarter, but had given up 13 points and trailed 45-34 heading into the 4th quarter. Ridgewood really never took advantage of the many B-PC/A turnovers throughout the game, having trouble capitalizing.

Ridgewood would move on with a 65-50 victory. Jena Peterson scored 18 points to pace Ridgewood, who also got double-digits from Amanda Kruger (14), Ella Teel (12), and Stephanie Williams (10). Kendra Pierce scored a game-high 24 points for B-PC/A, and added 5 steals, while Blout finished with 9 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 assists.

Catching up with the Spartans (B-PC/A) standout juniors. Kendra Pierce has 1,301 career points. The school record was set by Kari Walters (1,648) in 1994-95. Blout will enter her senior season with 1,008 points. She also has 821 rebounds in her career. The school record is 866, set by Whitney Lowe in 2003-2004.

After the game, I headed down to the hospitality room. On the way down, I ran into some familiar faces from Annawan, saying hello to Jim Koning. His twin daughters are Kelsey and Katie Koning. As I snaked through the crowded hallway, I ventured on into the the hospitality room....a little too late. The only treats that greeted me were two slices of pizza and a couple empty bags of chips. I grabbed one slice of pizza and a water.

The athletic directors from the B-PC/A co-op were the only folks in the room. Stan Prentice (B-PC) and Dick Brown (Avon). Bushnell-Prairie City, Avon, and Abingdon are talking consolidation. It appears a committee of 10 will be formed soon to further explore their options. That was the joke among the three athletic directors in the room from the three districts. Nichols joked that he wouldn't have to deal with the hospitality room in the new school, and Brown said that he wouldn't either, as he will be retiring next year.

Russ Hughes and Steve Peart dropped in, and we talked about the Annawan Bravettes and the trials and tribulations of broadcasting throughout the basketball season. One of them asked me how many games I had done, asking if it was around 80. Nope, 95 now!

Back to the gym, I ran into a few more Annawanians. Lynn Williams, my former boss at the Annawan Hometown Market, Jill Huber, the wife of Annawan head coach Matt Huber, and Matt's sister Mandy.

The Quest File Notes
Game 95
Date: 2/15/10
Result: Ridgewood advances to Sectional Championship with 65-50 win over B-PC/A
Miles: 107